As of 1 January 2007, Belgium extended the withholding tax exemption, previously applicable only to dividends distributed by a Belgian company to a qualifying EU parent company, to cover dividends distributed by a Belgian company to parent companies resident in any country with which Belgium has a tax treaty. !–more–From Sovereign Group.

Four UK High Street banks - understood to be HSBC, HBOS, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB - are to be forced to hand over details of their clients’ offshore bank accounts after Revenue & Customs won consent from the Special Commissioner on 1 February 2007. !–more– From Sovereign Group.

UK Chancellor Gordon Brown announced, on 13 December 2006, a joint France-UK agreement to help combat VAT-based “carousel fraud” schemes that are eroding tax revenue throughout the European Union.
The move followed the failure of the anti-fraud “reverse charge” plan to earn the backing of several EU member states. Brown told parliament that France’s cooperation should […]

The new Netherlands-Jordan income tax treaty, signed by the Dutch Minister of Finance on 30 October 2006, generally follows the OECD model income tax treaty and contains several favourable provisions. It will replace a bilateral investment protection agreement concluded by the two countries in 1997 and will enter into force when ratified by both countries.
The […]